Sunday, 21 December 2014

Driving More Efficiently

Drive Sensibly

Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.1

Driver feedback devices can help you drive more efficiently. A recent study suggests that they can help the average driver improve fuel economy by about 3% and that those using them to save fuel can improve gas mileage by about 10%.2

That's like saving about $0.08 to $0.26 per gallon.

Fuel Economy Benefit:

5%–33%

Equivalent Gasoline Savings:

$0.13–$0.84/gallon

Observe the Speed Limit

While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 mph.

You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying an additional $0.18 per gallon for gas.3

Observing the speed limit is also safer.

Fuel Economy Benefit:

7%–14%*

Equivalent Gasoline Savings:

$0.18–$0.36/gallon*

* Average savings, assuming drivers are willing to slow down 5 to 10 mph and fuel costs $2.55 per gallon.

A large, blunt roof-top cargo box, for example, can reduce fuel economy by around 2% to 8% in city driving, 6% to 17% on the highway, and 10% to 25% at Interstate speeds (65 mph to 75 mph).4

Rear-mount cargo boxes or trays reduce fuel economy by much less—only 1% or 2% in city driving and 1% to 5% on the highway.

If you need to use an external cargo container, removing it when it's not in use will save fuel and money.

Fuel Economy Benefit:

2%–17%

Equivalent Gasoline Savings:

$0.05–$0.43/gallon

Remove Excess Weight

Updated Information

Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by about 1%.5 The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Fuel Economy Benefit:

1%/100 lbs.

Equivalent Gasoline Savings:

$0.03/gallon

Avoid Excessive Idling

Idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and air conditioner (AC) use. Turn off your engine when your vehicle is parked. It only takes a few seconds worth of fuel to restart your vehicle. Turning your engine on and off excessively, however, may increase starter wear.